Practice rail attachment for a basketball backboard



Sept. 19, 1967 w. E. FARLEY PRACTICE RAIL ATTACHMENT FOR A BASKETBALL BACKBOARD 2 Sheets-Shed 1 Filed June 17, 1965 INVENTOR.

MAM/V A A2214? BY QZ @ww-A/ Sept. 19, 1967 w. E. FARLEY 3,342,486

PRACTICE RAIL ATTACHMENT FOR A BASKETBALL BACKBOARD Filed June 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fig- 3 /a 1p VENTOR. Maw/v i/z'ezfy ATTORNEYS BY United States Patent 3,342,486 PRACTICE RAIL ATTACHMENT FOR A BASKETBALL BACKBOARD William E. Farley, 204 E. Taylor St., De Kalb, Ill. 60115 Filed June 17, 1965, Ser. No. 464,780 2 Claims. (Cl. 273--1.5)

This invention relates to a practice attachment for a basketball backboard for use in combination with the basket ring as a teaching instrument, or device, in developing certain shooting skills in the player.

The practice attachment of my invention includes a rail, sometimes hereinafter referred to as an arch rail, which, when the attachment is properly mounted in place relative to the backboard, makes it necessary for the player, when he is making a set shot and/ or a jump shot, to release the ball at an angle of flight closely comparable to that commonly adjudged to represent the best shooting form. In the absence of the arch rail on the backboard, the shooter who angles his shot with a low trajectory might cause the ball to go through the basket; but with the arch rail in place, it is impossible to shoot the ball on a low trajectory from in front or from the side of the basket and cause it to go through the basket ring, except when using the backboard for a lay-up shot. Since it is common knowledge in the basketball coaching field that a high arching set shot and a high arching jump shot are the most desirable of shooting forms, the use of the attachment of my invention greatly facilitates the teaching of players to adopt such desirable shooting forms.

As a secondary feature of the use of the attachment of my invention, it can be used in teaching the player how to make orthodox backboard lay-up shots from either side of the basket ring. The clearance between the arch rail and the basket ring on the backboard side of the braces between the ring and rail is such that if the basketball is shot from underneath the rail and off of the backboard at the proper angle, the ball will bound off the backboard into the basket ring. This feature teaches a lay-up shooter, or especially the beginner, the proper angle and place on the backboard that he must hit with the ball to cause this deflection into the basket ring.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a practice attachment for a basketball backboard, which, in combination with a conventional basket ring, facilitates the teaching of basketball players, and particularly beginners, certain shooting skills in the art of playing basketball.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a practice attachment for a basketball backboard that is relatively inexpensive and simple to construct and that will serve, in combination with any conventional or desired form of backboard and basket ring, to facilitate the development of the skill of the player in making set shots, jump shots, and backboard lay-up shots.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of my attachment mounted in place in relation to a backboard;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view showing diagrammatically the path of a basketball shot in a lay-up shot from one side of the basket ring;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, with parts in elevation; and

FIGURE 5 is a broken, enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line V-V of FIG. 3, with parts in elevation.

3,342,486 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 The reference numeral 10 indicates generally a backboard, which may be a standard high school basketball backboard for teaching purposes, or any conventional or other desired form of backboard. As illustrated, the backboard 10 has an arcuate upper edge surface 11 and a lower planar edge surface 12 interrupted centrally by an upwardly arched surface 13, below which suitable means 14 extend for supporting a basket ring 15. The basket ring 15 is of standard size and the ring supporting means 14 may be conventional or of any desired form or construction, but, as is usual, the ring 15 and the supporting means 14 are both formed of metal.

The attachment of my invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 16, includes an arch rail 17 that is of generally U shape with the arcuate portion 18 forming the bight of the U form on a radius that is substantially greater than the radius of the ring 15, with a result that the curved portion 18 lies laterally beyond a projected right cylinder that includes the basket ring 15. The arch rail 17 is formed with legs 19 and 19a that are integral with and constitute straight extensions of the arcuate portions 18 of the U shape. The legs 19 and 19a are thus spaced apart by a distance substantially greater than the diameter of a standard basket ring. The extremities of said legs 19 and 19a, as at 20 and 2011, are suitably attached to clamps 21 and 22, by means of which the attachment is mounted to the backboard 10. As specifically illustrated, the extremities 20 and 20a are threadingly received by nuts 23 and 23a welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the outer surfaces of the outer legs 24 and 24a of the clamps 21 and 22.

Since the clamps 21 and 22 are identical, only one need be described and that will be described with reference to FIG. 4. As there illustrated, the clamp 21 is of rectangular, U shape, with the longer leg 24 extending across the front surface S of said backboard 10. The clamp 21 thus extends continuously from the front face of the backboard 10, around a side edge thereof and then along the back surface of the backboard. In order to prevent the clamp 21 from marring the surface of the backboard 10, a strip 26 of a suitable soft plastic, such as a vinyl plastic, is provided along the inner surface of the clamp, as by cementing thereagainst, as a cushioning strip. A clamp bolt 27 threadingly extending through a threaded aperture 28 in the end 25 has a stationary foot portion 29 bearing against the back surface of the board 10. A clamp bar 30 slidably mounted in the headed outer end 31 of the bolt 27 serves as a handle for tightening up the clamp 21 upon the backboard 10. Preferably, the bar 30 is slidable back and forth through the headed end 31 to facilitate turning of the bolt by hand. The foot portion 29 is mounted upon the other end of the bolt 27 in such manner as to permit the foot portion to be held in non-rotating position against the surface of the backboard 10 as the bolt 27 is turned to tighten down the foot portion 29 against the back surface and thereby hold the clamp 21 firmly in position.

A pair of rods 32 and 32a extend between the arch rail 17 and the basket ring 15 to mutually space and support the same. Each of said rods 32 is provided with a short cylindrical socket 33 at one end for receiving the arch rail 17 (FIG. 5) and at the other end with a U-shaped socket member 34 for receiving through its open end the ring 15. A Wing bolt 35 having a threaded portion extending through one leg of the U-shaped socket 35 is threaded against the ring 15 to hold the same in tight engagement within said socket member 34. Said cylindrical end 33 may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the upper end of the rod 32 and the U-shaped socket member 34 is similarly secured to the lower end of said rod 32.

It will be understood that the cylindrical ends 33 are slipped over the extremities 20 and 20a of the arch rail 17 before said extremities are secured to the nuts 23 and 23a. Then, before engaging the U-shaped sockets 34 and 34a with the basket ring 15, said rods 32 and 32a are moved along the arch rail 17 until in approximately the position shown in the drawings, namely, to points along the arcuate portion 18 of the arch rail at which said rods 32 and 32a will subtend about 120 of the circumference of the basket ring 15 along the front portion of said ring and symmetrically with respect to a median dividing plane normal to the backboard 10.

When the attachment is properly assembled on the backboard and clamped in place, the support or brace rods 32 and 32a will be located approximately 45 on either side of the midpoint of the arch rail 17 and the arch rail 17, its legs 19 and 19a, and the basket ring 15 will lie in horizontal planes spaced apart by a distance insuflicient for the standard size basketball to pass under the arch rail and through the space above the ring 15 and between the rods 32 and 32a. This makes it impossible for the player, or one practicing shots, to shoot a low trajectory shot into the basket from in front of the basket. Instead, the player making a set shot or a jump shot from in front and around to sides of the basket must shoot at an angle of flight that will carry the ball over the arch rail 17 and downwardly through the basket ring 15. In the basketball coaching field, it is common knowledge that a high arching set shot and jump shot are the most desirable of shooting forms, and this is what the attachment of my invention helps to teach the beginner or one who is practicing these shots in order to become proficient therein.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, however, the attachment of my invention can be used in teaching orthodox backboard lay-up shots from either side of the basket ring since there is sufiicient clearance between the arch rail 17, the basket ring 15, the backboard surface S and the rods 32 and 32a to allow the ball to pass in back of either of said rods 32 and 32a and up against the surface S and oif said surface into the ring 15. This is illustrated by the dash-and-dot lines and arrows showing the direction of travel of a basketball BB along the trajectory path 40 against the surface S and off the surface S along the path 41 into the basket 15. The diagrammatic showing of this type of shot is not intended to be accurate but illustrative only.

While the arch rail 17 has been shown to be integral, it can, for convenience, be made in jointed halves, or provided with a union, with the joint at midpoint of the bight 18 of the rail. By providing a joint in the arch rail, the rail can be encompassed within a smaller space for shipping purposes.

While other suitable materials can be used, the attachment of my invention is preferably made of iron or steel for strength and durability. The backboard 10, however, is preferably made of steel, as is customary, and may be in the form shown or in any other form, including that of conventional collegiate backboards. Such backboards are rectangular in shape and may require a slightly different form or dimension of bracket.

It will be understood that other changes may be made without departing from the principles of this invention and I therefore do not propose to limit the scope of this invention other than as required by the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In combination with a basket ring and basketball backboard in relation to which said basket ring is fixedly mounted, a practice attachment comprising a generally U-shaped rail, the bight of which is of greater radius of curvature than said basket ring,

means mounting the ends of said rail from said backboard in a horizontal plane spaced above the plane of said ring and brace means extending between and connected to said rail and ring to space said rail in a horizontal plane above and laterally beyond said ring.

2. A practice attachment for a basketball backboard, comprising a generally U-shaped rail having parallel legs and a curved bight portion connecting said legs, the distance between said legs being substantially greater than the diameter of a standard basket ring, means extending downwardly from said rail for attachment to a basket ring, and means connected to the ends of said parallel legs for attaching said rail to a backboard with said legs in a horizontal plane.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,039,794 5/1936 Hayden 2731.5 2,192,430 3/1940 Branner 273l.5 2,708,576 5/1955 Verkuilen 273l.5 2,918,283 12/1959 Marschalk 273-l.5

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

S. NATTER, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A PRACTICE ATTACHMENT FOR A BASKETBALL BACKBOARD, COMPRISING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED RAIL HAVING PARALLEL LEGS AND A CURVED BIGHT PORTION CONNECTING SAID LEGS, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID LEGS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF A STANDARD BASKET RING, MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID RAIL FOR ATTACHMENT TO A BASKET RING, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF SAID PARALLEL LEGS FOR ATTACHING SAID RAIL TO A BACKBOARD WITH SAID LEGS IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE. 